Judge rules against NCAA, says NIL compensation rules likely violate antitrust law, harm athletes

The NCAA lost another legal battle Friday as a federal judge barred the organization from enforcing its rules prohibiting name, image and likeness compensation for recruits by granting a preliminary injunction demanded by the states of Tennessee and Virginia.

It was another blow to the NCAA’s ability to govern college sports and more than 500,000 athletes. READ MORE

'Every single restaurant will close overnight': Celebrity chef blasts California politician's $50 minimum wage proposal

Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., is championing a proposal to raise the federal minimum wage to $50 per hour as part of her bid for the U.S. Senate. Given the substantial gap between this figure and the current federal minimum wage of $7.25, her initiative is drawing considerable attention.

Among the critics is celebrity chef and restaurant owner Andrew Gruel, who expressed grave concerns about the proposal in an interview on Fox Business. READ MORE

Seattle's Wage Ordinance for Food Delivery Drivers: A Lesson in Economics

Imagine this: a bustling city with the noble intention of ensuring its workers earn a 'fair and livable wage.' Here, amidst the evergreen landscape and tech-driven economy of Seattle, a recent ordinance was passed with the aim of increasing wages for food delivery drivers working for platforms like Uber Eats and DoorDash. Yet, despite its intentions, the city now stands as a living case study in basic economic principles, revealing a narrative that's as compelling as it is cautionary. READ MORE

California’s Minimum Wage Is Spiking Again (by 25 Percent!) – This Is Not An April Fool’s Joke!

California’s minimum wage is already one of the highest in the nation at $16 per hour (although Sacramento’s efforts pale in comparison to those of cities and towns across the Golden State, which have created a patchwork quilt of over 40 different minimum wage obligations up and down the state). Now, as we have previously reported here, the rate is set to increase by another 25 percent to a whopping $20 per hour for fast food employees on April 1, 2024—April Fools! … except not. (For those watching at home, you may recall that rate increased to $16 per hour just a month ago on January 1st.) READ MORE

Investing in “Emotional Salary”

Over the six years that Achievers Workforce Institute has researched workforce trends and job-hunting motivators, career progression and flexibility have remained the top reasons for employees to search for a new job. This year’s Engagement and Retention report marks the first time that global workers say compensation is the number-one reason they will job hunt. Caitlin Nobes, lead workforce analyst at Achievers, explains that this makes sense in the context of ongoing inflation and cost-of-living crisis.  

“Workers no longer have the luxury to prioritize flexibility and career over salary, as AWI finds that 71% of workers either struggle or must budget carefully to make ends meet,” Nobes says. “It’s more important than ever to understand and address employee economic challenges and concerns, so financial wellness will help improve overall employee well-being.”   READ MORE

NYC is now enforcing salary transparency. But Tesla, Amazon, Citi, and others are still posting huge pay ranges

Just over two years ago, the New York City Council passed a bill that would require most employers in the city to include salary information on all job postings, an effort to mitigate persistent pay disparities that often have an outsize impact on women and people of color. The law was met with swift pushback from corporate leaders and HR professionals, whose hand-wringing led lawmakers to revise the language of the bill and delay enforcement by nearly six months, until November 2022. READ MORE

Coca-Cola’s Sustainability Chief on Building a Circular Economy and Adding Executive Comp Goals

Coca‑Cola sells around 2.2 billion drinks servings daily across more than 200 brands. In 2022 it had a carbon footprint of 65 million metric tons, 88% of which was in its value chain. The company aims to reach net zero emissions by 2050 and has a number of other sustainability goals including ones for packaging, water use and sustainable agriculture.

Bea Perez joined the company in 1994 and was appointed as its first chief sustainability officer in 2011. At the start of this year, she was promoted to executive vice president with global responsibility for sustainability, communications and strategic partnerships. READ MORE

Executive Compensation Considerations in Out-of-Court Restructurings

Retaining key management at a distressed company in the midst of an out-of-court restructuring can be necessary for the success of the restructuring. To realign incentives, private credit lenders need to consider reloading and restructuring equity awards, retention bonuses and change in control payments to maximize the possibility of recouping their investment and promoting future profitability.

Though every out-of-court restructuring raises different issues, creditors taking the keys to a distressed company must: (1) identify talent for retention through the restructuring process and continued retention by the post-closing organization; (2) assess the efficacy and potential liabilities of existing compensation arrangements; and (3) structure new incentive compensation programs that are designed to encourage the repayment of debt and growth of the company after the restructuring. READ MORE

Class of 2024 salary projections surpass 2023 despite hiring dip

Average starting salaries for graduates in the college class of 2024 have surpassed projections reported for the class of 2023, according to data from the Winter 2024 Salary Survey released today by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

“Although the overall hiring projection for class of 2024 bachelor’s degree graduates is down slightly from last year, the increase in salary projections across the board reported in our Winter 2024 Salary Survey indicates healthy demand for this year’s class,” Shawn VanDerziel, NACE president and CEO, said. READ MORE

Can “Superstar” CEOs Actually Be Awarded “Supersized” Pay Packages? Takeaways from Tornetta v Musk

In 2017 Tesla’s market capitalization hovered around US$50 billion and it was the U.S.’s most shorted stock: the market was betting decisively against Elon Musk. But by October 2021, and on the heels of a performance-based equity-compensation plan awarded by the Tesla board to Musk and subsequently approved by shareholders in March 2018 (the Plan), Musk propelled Tesla to stratospheric valuations exceeding US$1 trillion. READ MORE

How far will $100,000 take you in the U.S.? Here's where it's worth the most — and least.

While six figures represents a respectable salary in most of the U.S., $100,000 won't get you very far in big cities like New York, where the cost of living is extremely high. 

The purchasing power — money's value in terms of how much it can buy you — of a $100,000 salary dwindles in places like Manhattan and San Francisco, relative to more affordable U.S. cities.  READ MORE

Director Compensation Continues to Rise, According to New Report

Median pay for directors rose 4% in 2023 — up from the previous year’s increase of 2% — according to a new report from the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD).  

The 25th annual 2023-2024 Director Compensation ReportOpen in a new tab, produced in collaboration with consultancy Pearl Meyer, was based on a robust analysis of director compensation trends and practices and nonemployee director compensation across 1,400 companies of various sizes and spanning 24 industries. Researchers drew from information found in proxy statements and other Securities and Exchange Commission filings. READ MORE

Here’s the Highest-Paid Job in Every State

While many people take on jobs for reasons other than purely money, salary is a determining factor for most people. Salaries on paper don’t necessarily reflect the actual purchasing power of that income, though, as cost of living varies widely from state to state.

However, taking a long look at the highest-paid profession in your area can tell you a lot about what really matters to people and what opportunities are best available in a given state or region. READ MORE

Average salary in the U.S. in 2024

Average salaries and wages in the United States have been increasing year after year, but the landscape looks different depending on a range of factors, from where you live to how old you are. 

If you’re wondering how your earnings compare to the rest of the U.S., as well as others in your state, we’ve crunched the official numbers to produce a comprehensive breakdown of average salaries in the country in 2024. We’ve split salary data by age, race, gender, occupation, state and educational background and analyzed the results to see who earns what in the U.S. READ MORE